[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 44 (Thursday, April 18, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H1462-H1463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON H.R. 2646, FARM SECURITY ACT OF 2001

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct conferees.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Baca moves that the managers on the part of the House 
     at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses 
     on the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 2646, an Act to 
     provide for continuation of agricultural programs through 
     fiscal year 2011, be instructed to agree to provisions 
     contained in section 452 of the Senate amendment, relating to 
     restoration of benefits to children, legal immigrants who 
     work, refugees, and the disabled.

  sThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Baca) is recognized for 30 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on my motion to instruct on H.R. 2646.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking the Congressional Hispanic 
caucus, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) and a bipartisan group of colleagues for 
working so hard within the conference committee to restore food stamp 
benefits to working, taxpaying legal residents, and I state, to 
taxpaying legal residents.
  We all agree that the time has come for Congress to ensure that all 
legal residents are eligible for food stamps. America provides aid to 
hungry people all over the world, yet we do not take care of everyone 
who needs it right here at home.
  Children of legal immigrants to our Nation are starving. It is as 
simple as that. With the passage of welfare reform in 1996, almost all 
legal immigrants lost food stamp eligibility. In 1998, Congress 
realized it had gone too far. But it only restored food stamps to 
benefit kids and elderly who arrived in our country before 1996. 
Thousands of immigrants who arrived here in the last 5 years will never 
receive any help from us for their nutritional needs.
  The current law does nothing to help them feed their children, many 
of whom are United States citizens. Let me say that again, many who are 
United States citizens. Kids who are United States citizens are 
starving under the current law. This must stop. It can stop with us.
  This motion instructs the 2002 Farm Security Act conference to 
restore much-needed food stamp benefit to legal, permanent residents. I 
state, to legal, permanent residents. It would allow legal residents 
who have been in the United States for 5 years to apply for food stamps 
if they are low income. This is what the President has proposed. I 
state, this is what the President has proposed.
  It would allow children to be eligible for food stamps, regardless of 
when they entered the United States. This provision is also contained 
in the farm bill that the Senate brought to the conference committee. 
It would reduce the current requirement that an immigrant accrue 10 
years of working history to qualify for food stamps to 4 years of work 
to qualify.
  Why should all of us support this motion? Because it makes sense, 
both fiscally and morally, and because strong bipartisan support 
already exists for restoring food stamps to legal immigrants.
  Support for restoring benefits crosses ideological and partisan 
lines. President Bush's 2002 budget includes a proposal to restore food 
stamps to legal immigrants, and I state, to legal immigrants, who have 
lived in the United States for 5 years. Newt Gingrich even stated that 
the restrictions on legal immigrants' eligibility for food stamps were 
one of the provisions in the welfare law that went too far; that went 
too far. Members from both sides of this aisle in both Chambers support 
restoration.
  Also the children's restoration is very inexpensive. It is already 
built into the $6.4 billion allotment for the nutrition title. The cost 
is $200 million. That is a small price when compared to the entire $150 
billion farm bill.
  Restoration of the food stamps to immigrants with significant work 
history costs nothing. CBO scored the enhancement at zero. It will 
simplify the process and help people at no cost to the taxpayers, at no 
cost to the taxpayers.
  Immigrant children need food stamps. Children, more than any other 
group, need access to healthy diets. I state, children, more than any 
other group, need access to healthy diet.
  Research indicates that children who do not receive adequate 
nutrition have poor health development. We talk about imposing 
performance standards on kids in school, but how can kids perform when 
they go to school with an empty stomach? It is very difficult to 
perform if you have an empty stomach. Section 452 of the Senate farm 
bill and the alternative of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) 
include this provision for children.

  Immigrant children are twice as likely to live in homes where parents 
pay more than 50 percent of their income in rent. We will make sure 
that poor kids receive the nutrition they need to one day lift 
themselves out of poverty, and I state, to lift themselves out of 
poverty.
  Restoring benefits to immigrant children will help with this effort 
to reach citizen children. Over 85 percent of immigrant families have 
mixed status, households that include at least one citizen child. 
Confusion about eligibility and fear about their immigrant status has 
caused these hard working parents to stay away from the program, even 
when these kids are eligible, and yet it affects their daily lives as 
they are going to school.
  Our current anti-immigrant food stamp program causes that fear. These 
are American citizens, American children we are talking about, yet they 
do not have access at the same time that kids who are born citizens. 
According to USDA from 1994 to 1998, 1 million citizens of immigrant 
parents left the food stamp program, representing a 74 percent decline 
for this group. It is time that we helped these American children.
  Working immigrants need food stamps. Low-wage working immigrants 
should be granted access to food stamp as work support. Legal 
immigrants are just as likely as natives to work, but they are two 
times as likely to be poor. Forty-three percent work in jobs paying 
less than $7.50 an hour, and wages have risen more slowly for 
immigrants than natives over the last decade.
  This motion builds on principles already established under the 
current law. Currently legal immigrants, individuals or couples that 
can show a combined work history of 10 years, are exempt from food 
stamp restrictions on legal immigrants. The notion behind this 
exemption was that no family with a demonstrated work history should be 
prohibited access to critical work support.
  The Senate bill builds upon the principles of fairness, and so should 
we. I state, the Senate bill builds upon the principles of fairness, 
and so should we. It would allow low-income individuals or married 
couples that can demonstrate, and I state, that can demonstrate, a 
combined workforce history of 4 years, to begin food stamp eligibility. 
Four years of work is measured by earning 16 quarters of earnings under 
the Social Security system.
  It is time that all hard-working, tax paying, and I state, hard-
working, tax paying residents of this country, are eligible for the 
same benefits in times of difficulty. Many of our veterans who served 
are legal permanent residents. This would allow them also to be 
eligible as well. When tax day rolls around,

[[Page H1463]]

it just is not for us to ask people, are you a citizen or not?

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